Sorting through the Test team's debris

Some prominent former selectors and stalwarts have come down heavily on the Sandeep Patil-headed selection panel for deciding to persist with the same squad for the third Test match against England in Kolkata after the traumatic defeat here in the Mumbai Test.

Interestingly, the BCCI had announced in a statement on Monday that the selectors would pick the squads for the last two Test matches and the two T20 Internationals that are to follow.

But there was no explanation whatsoever from the BCCI as to why the decision was changed, leaving it to interpretations and guesswork.

Some people like Abbas Ali Baig, Kishen Rungta, and Akash Lal have interpreted the decision as a defensive one. Akash Lal, who represented the North zone in the national selection panel from 1989 to 1991, was most vociferous in his criticism of the selectors.

"Indian batsmen weren't able to play spin on the kind of pitches that were made for them[in the Mumbai Test]. What were they doing, playing gilli-danda?" he said sarcastically while speaking to Mail Today.

"What has prompted them to retain the squad for Kolkata? Harbhajan Singh, for instance, doesn't deserve a place in the team."

"Sachin has done great and mammoth service to Indian cricket. But the greatness of a player lies in retiring while being at the top. It's about time he quit," he demanded.

"And Dhoni has given dismal performance both as a wicket-keeper and a batsman, besides as a captain."

Rungta, who as a national selector famously demanded live telecast of selection committee meetings, said that by picking the squad for just the third Test the selectors have played safe.

"They have rightly taken the decision to pick the team for only the Kolkata match. They probably want to see people who don't perform there," he said.

Both Baig, who scored a century on his Test debut, and former chairman of selectors Nari Contractor were also not happy with the selectors' decision.

"It [retaining squad] sounds a little strange. They might be looking for a change [based on the performances in the third Test]. Obviously, this decision was taken so that they could ease out non-performers after the Kolkata Test," felt the former India captain.

Baig particularly wants the selectors to have a one-to-one talk with Tendulkar to know his mind about his future. The batting maestro scored a grand total of 29 runs in the three innings of the first two Tests.

"Some senior BCCI officials keep coming up with stupid statements, saying it's up to him[Tendulkar] to take a decision. It's like telling the selectors that they can't touch him. Actually, it's up to the selectors.

They should have a quiet chat with him to find out about his intentions," Baig suggested.

"Sachin has a lot of cricket left in him, but it's a good case of resting him now and recalling him once he regains his form. But I'm not sure what financial commitments and tie-ups he has that might be preventing him from taking such a decision [to retire]."

Contractor said that many times the losing squads have been retained, but he pointed out that in a five-member selection it all oils down to a majority decision.

"Suppose I would have wanted some changes but three other selectors did not want them. What would happen then?

The time Wankhede was almost renamed

When the Mumbai Cricket Association(MCA) urgently needed money to rebuild the Wankhede Stadium a couple of years ago, there was a mild suggestion to rename the landmark cricket venue located near the famous Marine Drive.

At an MCA executive committee meeting, say sources, the then-association president Sharad Pawar floated an idea about generating quick money to meet the rising cost of construction.

The idea was to rename the stadium in return for a certain amount of money to meet the deadline and get the stadium ready before the 2011 World Cup final.

But on sensing the rest of the members' opposition in renaming the historical stadium, Pawar is said to have dropped the idea immediately.

"He gently proposed to have the stadium named after someone who was ready to pay a certain amount, much like it was later done in Pune where the stadium has been named after Sahara India boss Subrata Roy," said a source.

"Pawar never tried to impose his idea upon the members, but probably just wanted to know what they think of it."

"But the members unanimously but politely declined this way to raise money, saying that it would not be right to rename the stadium that is identified with legendary SK Wankhede. Pawar then didn't pursue it any further."

The renovation cost exceeded the budget, rising from Rs 145 crore to well over Rs 300 crore, for the stadium that went on to host the World Cup final.

More than just an opening pair

Virender Sehwag, who played his 100th Test match here at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, says he shares a special bond with co-opening batsman Gautam Gambhir and calls him his "best friend".

Picking his best opening partners in both Tests and in One-day Internationals, Sehwag said he enjoyed the most batting with Sachin Tendulkar and Gambhir.

"In one-day cricket with Sachin, and with Gambhir in Test cricket. Sachin, maybe because we have spent a lot of time outside of cricket that."

"When I was young, I used to go out for dinner with him and talk cricket in the dressing room, and with Gambhir we used to have breakfast, lunch and dinner," he told Mail Today.

"I would say my best friend is Gautam. Many times, we don't even call for a run, just see in each other's eyes and run." Interestingly, it was not for the Delhi team that Sehwag first played with the left-handed Gambhir.

"He made his Ranji debut when I was playing for India, so I hadn't played with him in the Ranji Trophy tournament. The first time I played with Gautam was when we turned out for ONGC, and not Delhi."

When batting together, Sehwag and Gambhir usually sing a lot of Hindi film songs and even Gurbani, and the pair continues to open in Test cricket.

Kapil Dev has once again taken to TV commentary after having a similar stint many years ago. The former captain brings a refreshing change from the traditional commentary of the experts who have been at it for many years. Kapil's Hindi is interesting and people, including a former Delhi captain, have been tweeting some of his faux pas during his stints at the microphone. But whatever one may say about his Hindi, he is fluent and spontaneous, much like his bowling and batting that enthralled millions between 1979 and 1994.